


Be Okay

by Biweatherman



Category: Groundhog Day - Minchin/Rubin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Gen, Pre Canon, Ryerson family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 13:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12109701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Biweatherman/pseuds/Biweatherman
Summary: Ned has always been able to speak to spirits, its never had a large impact on his life until he's able to talk to his wife.





	Be Okay

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day seven of the Groundhog Day Fan Week

Ned had had the gift for as long as he could remember. As a kid his parents just assumed he had a lot of imaginary friends, and the fact that he saw them in the cemetery was worrying, but they’d assumed it was just a weird quirk. It was only when he was fourteen and still talking about the friends he saw that they got worried. He was sent to talk to some people and from then on he learnt not to talk about what he saw with others. But apart from that the gift had never caused him harm, and he’d quite enjoyed having it. He would never say no to another group of friends, and if they happened to be spirits, oh well. It also gave him a sense of purpose in the world, helping loved ones let go in order to free the souls of spirits and allow them to achieve eternal rest. 

But he’d never been truly grateful for the gift until now. Because here she was in front of him, his Mary. She hadn’t left him, and she never had to. And while it was painful knowing he’d never truly be with her, just being able to see her and talk made the pain easier, it made raising five kids by himself easier, it almost made explaining to those kids that their mother was never coming back easier, almost. 

He’s standing in front of her grave again. Jamie and Jack had been getting worried about the amount of time he’d been spending there so he’d started making excuses about getting to pick up groceries and visiting on the walk back. 

He’s mid-conversation when Jamie approaches him. 

“You can see them too, can’t you Dad? The spirits?”

“Jamie, you can see them?”

“Yeah, always have, just thought it was best not to say anything, it seemed like the sort of thing you kept private. If you can see them, you know you have to let her go.”

“Yeah, I do, I know she’s in pain. It’s selfish, but if I let her go, I’m alone” Ned desperately tried to stop the tears, Jamie had been through too much for a fifteen-year-old, they didn’t need to see their father cry

“What do you mean, alone? You got me, don’t you? It’s going to be tough, but we’ll get through it. You just have to let go, it’s better for both of you. I’ll give you some time to say goodbye, that sort of thing seems like it should be private too.”

“You don’t, you don’t want to say goodbye too?”

“I already did, after the funeral as soon as I saw her. She’s not meant to be with us anymore, it sucks and I hate it. I do. But there’s nothing we can do. Say goodbye, you know you have to.” 

With that Jamie walked a bit down the path of the cemetery and Ned turned to face his wife. 

“You raised a good kid, strong sense of what’s right and of what has to be done. And I’m sorry for the pain I caused you, keeping you where you don’t belong. It was selfish and I can’t cause you any more pain, I can’t do that to you. It’s time to say goodbye Mary, I love you and I’ll miss you, always, but I have to move on. I have to keep living with-without you.” The tears had blurred Ned’s vision a long time ago and he hadn’t wanted to catch even a glimpse of Mary fading so he’d been stubbornly staring at the ground but he still knew, there was a vague feeling of lightness, of a weight being taken of his shoulders, and he knew she’d gone. 

He was alone, except he wasn’t because there was Jamie hugging him and telling him it’d all be okay, they’d get through it, and maybe it would be. It’d never be normal, he’d never be truly happy but for now, for now, they might just be okay.


End file.
